


Art of Understanding

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Tumblr Prompts [77]
Category: The Last Hours Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Acceptance, Family Feels, Gen, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26667442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Christopher has ruined more than one good shirt before, but Anna is surprised to find why this time isn't quite like all the others.
Relationships: Anna Lightwood & Christopher Lightwood
Series: Tumblr Prompts [77]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1034831
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Art of Understanding

The explosion happens suddenly, as explosions are want to do. There’s no long fuse to provide ample warning or chance to escape, or planned combustion of two combined ingredients so that one could, say, not be wearing one of their nicer shirts because it’s the first clean thing they grabbed out of the closet that morning. No, it’s another unfortunate accident in a long series of unfortunate accidents, when two elements had an interaction Christopher didn’t anticipate, resulting in a small fire he puts out quickly, but not before smoke fills his workspace and a mildly caustic substance begins to eat through the fabric of his shirt.

He’s so close, _so close_ , to perfecting a process to transmit messages to others across great distances... fire seemed to be the key, but fire is also his current problem because he can't seem to get runes to interact with the parchment without, well-

"Christopher!"

He cringes slightly at the sound of his name being called, followed immediately by light coughing from the lingering smoky haze in the room. The only saving grace is that the voice shouting his name, while accusatory, belongs to Anna and not either of their parents.

"I'm quite alright," he says immediately, already busy dusting off notes he needs and salvaging a few vials caught in the fallout. He is vaguely aware of the sound of Anna's voice continuing, but it's muffled as his focus remains on the table in front of him, taking a quick survey of anything he might have irreparably damaged.

"Sorry," he says, cutting her off mid-sentence. "What were you saying?"

Anna sighs. "Nothing," she says with a slow shake of her head. "Just that we should clean this up before Aunt Sophie is due to arrive for tea or you'll never hear the end of it." Anna's eyes fall on his ruined dress shirt and her frown deepens.

He follows her gaze and frowns as well. "Sorry I ruined this shirt," he says. Not his shirt, or another shirt, but this one in particular.

"Don't be sorry to me, it's your shirt," Anna replies. "It was too small for you anyway."

"Yes, but that was the point-" Christopher starts, then hesitates, head tilted slightly as he surveys Anna. She stands just an inch or so taller than him, enough that he turns his lavender eyes upward to hold her gaze searchingly for a moment.

"What was?" Anna prompts. Christopher normally says whatever he's thinking with an impressive lack of filter or concern. He can tell she's curious about whatever he might have stopped to reconsider, but he can also tell she's upset about the explosion and wonders if now might not be the best time.

Christopher hates keeping secrets about as much as he hates lying, at least when neither serves a purpose. "I meant for it to be small on me. I had the order placed one size off."

Perhaps she'll drop it as a simple eccentricity, but of course she doesn't, because Anna knows him too well to write it off as just that.

"Why?" she asks. Though he has a feeling she already knows the answer he says it anyway.

"So I'd have one that fits you better when you borrow it," he admits. When she looks surprised and remains entirely silent, he explains further. "I have a very sensitive sense of smell, Anna. One has to, to capture the nuances of certain experiments. Do you really think I don't notice when my shirts return smelling faintly of cigar smoke and perfumes?"

Anna's mouth drops open in surprise and for a moment Christopher fears she's upset and gives his best apologetic half-smile.

“I didn’t mean to wear it while working, I just meant to check something quickly but I suppose I got a bit… caught up, and-”

His apology is cut off as strong arms wrap around him, and when he gives a mumbled protest that whatever is currently eating its way through the fabric of his clothing will certainly get on, and ruin, Anna's, he only feels her pull him more tightly against her.

She doesn't say thank you, or that she loves him, or ask how long he knew or why he hadn't said anything. She doesn't have to, because it's the two of them, and they always had that sort of unspoken understanding between them. He notices little details like that and he doesn’t say anything, because he doesn’t think it a big deal and understands that if she wants to say something to him on the matter, she will. He never doubts that she loves him, and appreciates the gesture now that she realizes that it was, in fact, a gesture, and not just Christopher being absent-minded with his measurements, whether she explicitly states it or not.

When they pull apart (the front of Anna's dress also ruined now as he knew it would be) none of that needs to be said, not because they're embarrassed to say it, but because it's simply understood.

"Now you need to change, too," he points out, nodding toward the white stained patches on her pastel blue dress.

"Good," Anna says. "I never liked this dress, now I have an excuse to never wear it again."

"If you'd like, I could explode things on all of your dresses?" Christopher offers, so casually anyone else might think he's joking.

Anna laughs, bright, and easy, and adoring. "You know, I may take you up on that one day. But for now, we should probably leave me with enough to get through the week without going to tea in the nude, don't you think?"

Christopher gives a considering hum. "I suppose," he says, not sounding entirely sold on the idea as he stacks the last of his papers safely to the side and does a quick scan to make sure nothing is burning or smoldering before they both turn to clean up before company.

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


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